Don’t assume someone else is speaking up for the horses. Below is our master directory of local meeting schedules and official portals for every county across the AAHC footprint. Always click your county’s link to check the official “Agenda Center” the Friday before a meeting to verify locations and holiday adjustment.
Thank you to our Corporate Partner Athens Area Horse Properties for putting this guide together.
18-County Regional Directory (alphabetically by county):
1. Banks County Government (Homer)
- BOC Meeting: 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM | Banks County Courthouse Annex, Board Room.
- Planning & Zoning: 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM | Same location.
- Public hearings allow for timed comments from both sides of a zoning petition. The county is observant of growth spreading north along the I-85 corridor.
- Watch for commercial or logistics infrastructure creep pushing out from Commerce that threatens large agricultural tracts.
2. Barrow County Government (Winder)
- BOC Meeting: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM | Barrow County Historic Courthouse, 2nd Floor Commission Chambers.
- Planning & Zoning: 4th Monday of the month at 6:30 PM | Same location.
- Barrow utilizes a two-meeting system for rezonings where the P&Z board makes an initial advisory recommendation before the Commissioners take a final vote.
- Barrow is facing intense commuter sprawl. Monitor text amendments attempting to reduce the minimum acreage required to keep livestock.
3. Athens-Clarke Unified Government (Athens)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM | City Hall, Commission Chambers (301 College Ave).
- Planning Commission: 1st Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM | Same location.
- Highly structured unified city-county framework. General public comment is strictly limited to 3 minutes per resident and requires signing up before the meeting starts.
- While largely urbanized, Clarke retains an essential “emerald ring” of agricultural zoning (AR). Keeping track of comprehensive land-use updates is vital to preserve the few open pastures remaining.
4. Elbert County Government (Elberton)
- BOC Meeting: 2nd Monday of the month at 5:30 PM | Elbert County Government Complex, Main Board Room.
- Planning & Zoning: Meets monthly as petitions dictate (typically mid-month) | Same location.
- A traditional rural format where grassroots community input carries substantial weight, though meetings conclude quickly if agendas are light.
- Elbert features excellent, affordable farm tracts. The main priority here is keeping an eye on intensive poultry operation permits or quarry expansions that could impact shared water tables and dirt roads.
5. Franklin County Government (Carnesville)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Monday of the month at 6:00 PM | Franklin County Justice Center.
- Planning & Zoning: 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM | Same location.
- Public comments are welcomed during designated windows for individual zoning items. The P&Z board acts as an advisory panel to the full commission.
- Preserving broad agricultural properties against industrial warehouse developments pushing past highway junctions.
6. Greene County Government (Greensboro)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Tuesday of the month at 5:00 PM | Greene County Courthouse, Commissioners Room.
- Planning & Zoning: 3rd Tuesday of the month at 4:00 PM | Same location.
- Meetings convene earlier in the afternoon than most surrounding counties, meaning working equestrians need to plan their schedules ahead of time to attend.
- While the southern end is dominated by lakeside residential communities, the northern and western borders remain prime farming territory under pressure from parcel fragmentation.
7. Gwinnett County Government (Lawrenceville)
- BOC Meeting: 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 2:00 PM (Work Session) and 7:00 PM (Public Hearing & Voting) | Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center Auditorium.
- Planning Commission: 1st Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM | Same location.
- Gwinnett has a massive, highly formal suburban-urban framework with strict public comment protocols and digital sign-up lists.
- The northern and eastern fringes (Dacula, Harbins, Loganville) still contain vital horse properties and trail access points constantly facing high-density development requests.
8. Hall County Government (Gainesville)
- BOC Meeting: 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM | Hall County Government Center.
- Planning Commission: 1st and 3rd Monday of the month at 5:15 PM | Same location.
- Features an open public forum at the start of voting sessions for non-agenda items, alongside dedicated hearings for specific land use changes.
- Hall includes substantial foothill and rural lake acreage. Monitor the expansion of commercial zoning pushing outward from the I-985 corridor into established farm buffers.
9. Jackson County Government (Jefferson)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Monday (Voting) and 3rd Monday (Work Session) at 6:00 PM | Jackson County Administrative Complex, Auditorium.
- Planning & Zoning: 4th Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM | Same location.
- Meetings are heavily attended due to rapid expansion. Rezonings require distinct public hearings before both individual boards.
- Jackson is a direct frontline for agricultural preservation. Large distribution centers and mega-subdivisions actively compete with long-standing boarding facilities and hay fields.
10. Jasper County Government (Monticello)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Monday of the month at 6:00 PM | Jasper County Courthouse, Courtroom.
- Planning & Zoning: 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM | Same location.
- Smaller, community-centered rural setting where timber, farming, and large-acreage land use dominate the conversation.
- Bordering the Oconee National Forest, Jasper is a haven for trail riding. Engagement here should focus on protecting public trail access and ensuring large-lot zoning minimums stay intact.
11. Madison County Government (Danielsville)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Monday of the month at 6:00 PM | Madison County Government Complex, Auditorium.
- Planning & Zoning: 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM | Same location.
- Highly receptive to agricultural and conservation-focused commentary. Board members value concise, fact-based references to the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
- A central pillar of the AAHC footprint. Watch for ordinances affecting Conservation Use Value Assessment (CUVA) tax rules and protections for primary agricultural zones (A and A-R).
12. Morgan County Government (Madison)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM | Morgan County Administration Building, Board Room.
- Planning & Zoning: 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM | Same location.
- Morgan County maintains some of the most protective and innovative land-use and green space preservation ordinances in the state.
- A model for farmland conservation. Horse owners should attend to vocally support the county’s continuous efforts to keep large, contiguous tracts of timber and pasture land from being broken up.
13. Newton County Government (Covington)
- BOC Meeting: 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM | Newton County Historic Courthouse.
- Planning Commission: 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM | Same location.
- Citizens wishing to speak must fill out a public comment card before the meeting is officially called to order.
- Newton hosts thriving pockets of equine life, but faces expansion pressure from the Atlanta perimeter. Watch for suburban residential overlays that conflict with equestrian uses.
14. Oconee County Government (Watkinsville)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Tuesday (Voting) and 4th Tuesday (Agenda/Work Session) at 6:00 PM | Oconee County Administrative Courthouse, Commission Chambers.
- Planning Commission: 3rd Monday of the month at 7:00 PM | Same location.
- Highly structured and frequently well-attended due to intense development interest. Public comment sign-up sheets can fill up fast.
- Oconee is a vital core for the local horse community. It is critical to show up whenever an A-1 (Agricultural) tract requests a variance or re-zone to a residential classification to avoid losing farms and creating dangerous traffic bottlenecks on narrow farm lanes.
15. Oglethorpe County Government (Lexington)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Monday of the month at 6:00 PM | Oglethorpe County Commissioner’s Office.
- Planning & Zoning: 3rd Monday of the month at 6:00 PM | Same location.
- Close-knit, rural atmosphere. While historically protective of its agricultural base, the public record relies heavily on local citizens showing up to voice their concerns during hearings.
- Oglethorpe’s dirt road network is an absolute treasure for trail riders and foxhunters. Civic efforts here should focus on maintaining rural road integrity and opposing high-density subdivisions.
16. Rockdale County Government (Conyers)
- BOC Meeting: 2nd Tuesday at 10:00 AM (Voting) and 4th Tuesday at 6:00 PM (Voting/Public Hearings) | Rockdale County Assembly Hall.
- Planning & Zoning: 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM | Same location.
- Utilizes alternating morning and evening sessions across the month to provide varied access for public attendance.
- Home to the Georgia International Horse Park (GIHP). Equestrians here need to monitor commercial zoning adjustments near the park corridor to ensure equine safety, buffer preservation, and sound traffic control during large event seasons.
17. Walton County Government (Monroe)
- BOC Meeting: 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM | Walton County Government Complex, Board Room.
- Planning & Zoning: 1st Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM | Same location.
- Planning & Zoning proceedings move at a rapid pace. To oppose a development petition effectively, coordinate with fellow neighbors so speakers don’t repeat duplicate points within the strict time limits.
- The beautiful corridor running between Monroe and Social Circle holds an incredible concentration of horse enthusiasts. Watch for residential commuter belts carving up old fence lines.
18. Wilkes County Government (Washington)
- BOC Meeting: 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM | Wilkes County Courthouse, Commission Meeting Room.
- Planning & Zoning: Meets monthly or as petitions require | Same location.
- Deeply traditional and deliberate. Large-scale land use alterations are relatively rare compared to the interstate corridors, but staying engaged prevents quiet changes.
- For equestrians seeking large acreage, timber insulation, and pristine riding trails, Wilkes is an absolute sanctuary. Engagement here centers on supporting tax incentives that protect working agricultural properties.